Friday News Drop: Brewers, brews and boo-urns

You can pick up tickets for the festival right now at the Milwaukee Film website with the confidence that it will be much more fun than the 1995 Springfield Film Festival:

Milwaukee’s a big city with a lot going on. Catch up before spending your weekend either purposely or accidentally ignoring the news.

So many Brewers things

Our city’s baseball team had a busy week. The fellas are back at it in Arizona, throwing, hitting and being the subject of pranks that don’t really come off:

To distract yourself from the fact that they’re all somewhere much warmer and less snow-buried than us, let’s focus on the many, many things the Brewers announced this week as we begin the slow, methodical jog to opening day.

It’s been 22 years since we first stepped foot in the Brewers’ current home, and the franchise’s proactive approach keeps improving the in-stadium experience. It seems like every season brings a new list, and this one is no different. There happens to be nine, so let’s do this lineup style (more info on all these things on the Brewers website):

1. New sound system — The leadoff spot sets the tone. So will the brand-new audio system that marks the first sound overhaul since the stadium’s opening.
2. J. Leinenkugel’s Barrel Yard — We already knew about this, making it not surprising but still exciting. Perfect No. 2 hitter.
3. 414 Menu — You want the whole package in this slot. Reducing prices on 15 concession items and adding a value menu with four $4 options is the whole package.
4. Return of fireworks — Personally, I think fireworks are wildly overrated. Home run (boom). Brewers win (boom). But explosives bat cleanup.
5. Sunday Fun-Day Bundle — After a homer, you gotta start the party over again. This $59 package gets you and three more people parking, tickets, hot dogs and soda. Instant party.
6. Autograph Sundays — Bumped down because it’s kids only. But, if you think about it, a grownup asking another grownup for an autograph is weird. 
7. Kids run the bases — See previous entry.
8. 4-1-Force — Down here, you’re looking to keep things moving. The new spirit squad will do that by providing entertainment when on-field stuff isn’t happening. 
9. New team stores — Someone needs to turn the lineup over. Good place for “chances to buy things” (expanded game-used items and memorability, new Hat Shop). 

In separate news, the Brewers low-key retired the Arctic Tailgate, replacing it with something arguably cooler and definitely not as cold. When single-game tickets go on sale tomorrow, Feb 25, the team will also give away 25 pretty darn high-end prizes.

We’re talking chances to win an inning in the TV booth, owner Mark Attansio’s personal game tickets, trips to away series and 2024 Spring Training, a 2023 Toyota Camry XLE and lots more. Each ticket you buy Feb. 25 is a chance to win. Pretty simple. All the details are available here.

Beer (and more) to your door

There are only eight states that still prohibit the online sale of alcohol. Wisconsin is one of them. If a bipartisan group of state legislators succeed, that will soon change.

Sen. Duey Stroebel (R-Town of Cedarburg), Sen. Kelda Roys (D-Madison), Rep. Cindi Duchow (R-Delafield) and Rep. LaKeshia Myers (D-Milwaukee) authored a bill that would do away with the current face-to-face requirement around alcohol sales. If it passes, you’d be able to order online or by phone, and have your beer and/or other booze delivered.

“I could go to a vineyard in California and sign up for their wine club and they could ship me wine, but I wouldn't be able to get it from my neighborhood wine store," Roys told the Journal Sentinel’s Laura Schulte. "We just want to make sure that for retailers who want to offer that service for consumers that they're able to."

There would be a few guardrails in place. Stores could only deliver during their regular business hours, charge the same price as in-person sales, and deliver products sealed or otherwise tamper-proof. You would need to complete payment at the time of the order, provide proof that you’re of legal drinking age, and promise not to text any exes.

You can read more about the bill and potential opposition in Schulte’s story at JSOnline.

2023 Milwaukee Film Fest’s first reveal is …

… Metropolis!

Director Fritz Lang’s 1927 sci-fi masterpiece and one of the most influential pieces of cinema in history will get live accompaniment from the Anvil Orchestra, thus bringing back one of the coolest parts of Milwaukee Film Fests past.

The last “silent film and live music” team-up happened in 2019 but then got sidelined — like so many other things — by the pandemic. There isn’t an exact date for its return, but we know this year’s Milwaukee Film Festival will take place from April 20-May 4, so somewhere in there is a pretty good bet.